Top 10 places to visit in Gwangju | Travel attraction recommendations
Top 10 places to visit in Gwangju
hello? In this post, we will introduce the top 10 tourist attractions that showcase the diverse charms of Gwangju West.
The list is based on the Korea Tourism Organization's popularity rankings and includes attractions with unique natural scenery, interesting history and culture, and a variety of activities.
If you want to spend special time with your loved ones, refer to this list and create wonderful memories. Hope you have a nice trip!
May 18 Memorial Park
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to May 18 Memorial Park
5.18 Memorial Park is a park created to commemorate the Gwangju 5.18 Democratization Movement in 1980.
When the Sangmudae University, which was a military facility during the May 18 Democratization Movement, was relocated, the government provided land for the park.
Accordingly, in 1998, Gwangju Metropolitan City created the 208,000㎡ May 18 Memorial Park to restore the honor of the May 18 Democratization Movement and to properly inherit and develop the valuable lessons.
The 5.18 Memorial Park includes the 5.18 Memorial Cultural Center equipped with a 5.18 data room and performance and event facilities, the 5.18 Status Sculpture and Memorial Sublimation Space consisting of citizen soldier statues and a memorial space, Daedong Square with a circular fountain space that symbolically represents the spirit of 5.18, and the 5.18 Democratization Center. There is a student athlete monument.
At the foot of Yeouisan Mountain, where the 5.18 Memorial Park was created, is the Gwangju Student Education and Culture Center, and a walking trail is built around the mountain.
At the top is Owoldae, a pavilion that serves as an observatory.
Currently, the 5.18 Memorial Park is loved by Gwangju citizens not only as a space to commemorate and commemorate the May 18 Democratization Movement, but also as a comfortable resting place in the city.
Approximately 45% of the total area, or 92,099㎡, has been created as green space and is home to traditional ponds and various trees, making it widely used as a nature learning center for children.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Basic information about May 18 Memorial Park
Homepage http://www.grandculture.net
There are no restrictions on simple tours other than operating hours and facility tours.
Open all year round on days off
5/18 Jayu Park
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to May 18 Jayu Park
This park recreates the historical site of the May 18 Democratization Movement located in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju.
With the relocation of Sangmu University in 1996 and the development of Sangmu's new downtown, the military trial site during the May 18 Democratization Movement was moved about 100 meters away from its original location.
In order to commemorate the spirit of freedom, democracy, and justice of those who participated in the democratization movement, and to preserve it as a valuable historical education site, the original form of the old Sangmudae courtroom and brigade was restored and recreated to create the May 18 Freedom Park.
The total area of 5.18 Jayu Park is 33,058㎡.
With a building area of 2,988㎡ and a total floor area of 3,030㎡, it includes a facility preservation area, free pavilion, and rest area.
The purpose is to protect the site, which will be remembered as a trace of historical struggle and a symbol of human rights, peace, and harmony, and to use it as an educational center for future generations.
It consists of a liberty hall that stores historical materials, a stockade, a court, and various monuments.
The exhibition room that stored the materials and photos of the May 18 Democratization Movement, the military police company internal division where those arrested were tortured and interrogated, the military police cafeteria used as a temporary interrogation room, and the military police headquarters used as a temporary headquarters by the special investigation team of the Martial Law Joint Investigation Headquarters, which led the torture investigation and trial. There are offices, etc.
In order to recreate and commemorate the situation at the time, there is a courthouse where citizens were tried by military trials and a brigade consisting of six cells. During the May 18 commemoration period, you can experience the brigade.
Nearby are the May 18 Education Center, Kim Dae-jung Convention Center, and Veterans Affairs Center.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
5/18 Jayu Park Basic Information
Homepage http://www.grandculture.net
Operating hours - summer 09:00~18:00
- Winter season 09:00~17:00
※ There is no time limit for simple tours other than facility tours.
Parking facilities available (free)
Open all year round on days off
Byeongcheonsa Temple
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Byeongcheonsa Temple
Byeongcheonsa Temple is a shrine that enshrines the memorial tablets of Jeong Mong-ju, a loyalist of the late Goryeo Dynasty, Ji Yong-gi, a meritorious subject of the late Goryeo Dynasty, Jeong Chung-sin, a meritorious subject of the Joseon Dynasty, and Ji Yeo-hae and Ji Gye-choi, who were active during the Byeongja Manchu War.
It was built by Ji Eung-hyeong, a local influential figure, to inherit the fidelity and patriotic spirit of his ancestors after suffering the humiliation of losing his country to Japan in 1910.
Construction of Byeongcheonsa Temple began in 1927 and was completed in 1932. It was called Byeongcheonsa, which means [to unite a thousand miles], and it also served as a seowon.
The grounds include a shrine, a shrine, an east hall, a study room, an auditorium, a war room, Naesammun Gate, and Wonjiksa Temple. Among the buildings, only the auditorium building, which is the largest and requires preservation, is designated and managed as a cultural asset.
The auditorium has 5 rooms on the front and 2 rooms on the sides, and the middle 3 rooms have a daecheongmaru (main floor) and rooms on either side.
The shrine has 3 rooms in the front and 3 rooms on the sides, with two rooms at the front and back, and is a 5-car house with a gable roof.
Currently, Byeongcheonsa Temple is being used as an outdoor wedding hall and the response is good.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Byeongcheonsa Temple basic information
Website https://tour.gwangju.go.kr
Operating hours 24 hours
Parking facilities available
Open all year round on days off
Jeonpyeongje
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Jeonpyeongje
In 1943, an abandoned reservoir near the city center was built to supply agricultural water to the Maewol-dong and Byeokjin-dong farms and to prevent disasters, and a rest area was created as a pilot project to turn it into a national park starting in 1999.
There is a wooden bridge across the artificial island in the middle of the reservoir, making it a suitable place for family leisure boating along with waterside scenery and nature exploration.
* Area 46,992㎡, water storage capacity 100,000 tons
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Jeonpyeongje basic information
Haksansa Temple
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Haksansa Temple
It is located at the foot of Palhaksan Mountain in Bulam Village, Seochang-dong, and is a shrine where ancestral rites are held to commemorate the feat of Sapbong Kim Se-geun, who died fighting the Japanese during the Japanese invasions of Korea.
In the 25th year of King Seonjo's reign (1592), Japanese pirates landed in Busan and invaded Seoul. When King Seonjo fled to Uiju to escape the tribulation, Gim Gong, in anticipation of the Japanese invasion, resigned from his position as a civil servant in advance and held a retreat in Baekmasan Mountain, Seochang, within the jurisdiction. After gathering his men and practicing martial arts, he led about 300 of them and defeated the enemies of Yeongdong and Hwanggan. After staying for several days at the midpoint of Geumsan, he encountered a large Japanese army and died heroically along with his captain, Go Gyeong-myeong, in the battle of Gujeon and Wapyeong.
Currently, Haksansa Temple was built in 1958 by Gwangju Confucian scholars to build a shrine to commemorate his holy soul, and Chunhyang is held every year on March 22nd of the lunar calendar.
*Sapbong Kim Se-jin and Kim Se-geun, a righteous army general from Gwangju, Jeolla-do, in the early Joseon Dynasty, entered the civil service examination in 1576 (the 9th year of King Seonjo's reign), and passed the civil service examination the following year and served as the head of the royal family.
He advocated the theory of both armies in preparation for the Japanese invasion, but when it was not accepted, he abandoned his government position and returned to Gwangju, Jeolla-do.
When the Imjin War broke out in 1592 (the 25th year of King Seonjo's reign), he followed Go Gyeong-myeong and joined the righteous army along with Kim Deok-hong, Yu Paeng-ro, and others, and achieved great results in battle.
He died on Geumsan Mountain along with Go Gyeong-myeong.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Haksansa Temple basic information
Uncheon Reservoir
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Uncheon Reservoir
In 1951, in order to supply agricultural water to the Mareuk-dong farmland and prevent disasters, large-scale residential land development (Geumho, Sangmu district) around the construction site was located in the city center, and due to the depletion of upstream water sources and the influx of wastewater, it degenerated into a bad smell and pest habitat. After the inauguration of Commissioner Lee Jeong-il in the first popular election in 1995, the place, which had been the cause of various civil complaints, was promoted annually to block the inflow of sewage and wastewater and supply clean water. As a result, the self-purifying ability was restored and it was transformed into a natural ecological park attracting various birds. .
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Uncheon Reservoir Basic Information
Uncheonsamae Buddha Seated Statue
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Uncheonsamae Seated Buddha Statue
The Uncheonsa Rock-carved Buddha Seated Buddha is a rock-carved Buddha located on the grounds of Uncheonsa Temple that is believed to have been made in the early Goryeo period.
The size is 2.1m high and 2.1m wide at the knees.
It is a huge Buddha statue that is rare in Jeollanam-do and Gwangju Metropolitan City.
A Buddhist statue was embossed by trimming the natural rock wall, and a building was built on top of it to give it the form of a pavilion.
The overall shape and body are three-dimensional, but the halo and pedestal are carved with lines.
The six feet (the bone on the top of the Buddha's head that naturally rises to form a topknot) are clearly raised, and the hair used to be naked, but has been worn down so much that it looks like a cow's foot.
Between the eyebrows, the hole where the white tiger is located (the white, shining thin hair between the Buddha's two eyebrows, the light of which illuminates the infinite world) is faintly visible, and the eyes are half-closed, as if meditating.
Both ears are very large and hang over the shoulders, and the pinna and earlobes are clearly visible.
The three degrees of prostration are clearly expressed on the neck, and the right shoulder is exposed and the person is wearing a robe.
The Uncheonsa Rock-carved Buddha Seated Buddha has been known as an open-air Buddha, but as roof tiles from the Goryeo Dynasty were excavated, it is presumed that there was a pavilion-shaped building to protect the rock-carved Buddha at the time of its construction.
Because the overall Buddha statue was built so large, it is physically unbalanced, and judging from its stiff face and schematic hem, it is presumed to be a work of art from the early Goryeo Dynasty.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Basic information on Uncheonsamae Seated Buddha Statue
Homepage http://www.grandculture.net
Parking facilities available (Uncheonsa Temple)
Open all year round on days off
Sangmu Citizen’s Park
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Sangmu Citizen’s Park
It is a beautiful park located within the Sangmu New Downtown apartment complex in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu.
Designated on November 12, 1994, it is the largest park in Gwangju with various landscaping and convenience facilities, including various sports facilities, a lake with beautiful waterscapes, an open plaza, and a sculpture park.
Sangmu Citizen's Park consists of two artificial lakes, a plaza (39,360㎡), sports facilities (a sports complex, a running track, 3 tennis courts, 1 basketball court, 1 volleyball court), a women's development center, and environmental sculptures (15 types including Dinosaur Land). It consists of
In particular, the sports facilities include a comprehensive and small sports field equipped with an international standard grass soccer field of 3,470 pyeong, grass stands that can accommodate about 6,000 people, and a 400m urethane track for barefoot jogging.
The sculpture park is centered around the lakeside in Sangmu Citizen’s Park.
Landscape lighting facilities are installed for each work, so you can enjoy the fantastic and beautiful works even at night. By allowing anyone to touch, experience, and appreciate the work, it provides both the ‘pleasure of seeing’ and the ‘pleasure of experiencing.’
22 works by 18 sculptors are installed under the theme of human parks.
‘Dinosaur Land’ is a place decorated with themes such as Pterodactyl 21, Baby Dinosaur, Tyrano, and The Lost World, and the sight of children running around on the Tyranno slide is dazzling.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Sangmu Citizen Park Basic Information
Pungam Reservoir (Pungam Lake)
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Pungam Reservoir (Pungam Lake)
It was built for agricultural purposes in 1956, but as the number of users increased along with the development of Pungam residential land, a traditional pavilion and wooden bridge were installed as a pilot project to turn it into a national park starting in 1999, and it was developed into a symbolic rest area of Gwangju where water and tradition harmonize, attracting hundreds of people a day. of users are looking for.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Pungam Reservoir (Pungam Lake) Basic Information
Website http://tour.gwangju.go.kr
Parking facilities available
No days off
Hwadamsa Temple
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Introduction to Hwadamsa Temple
This is a shrine that enshrines the 5th generation, including Jeong Hui, who lived in seclusion in Dumundong after the fall of Goryeo and kept his integrity and is considered one of the 72 prefectures of Dumundong, his son Jeong Cho, grandson Jeong Su-chung, the 3rd generation, Jeong Jeong-do, and Minjejang.
The place where Hwadamsa Temple is located has been called Hwadam since ancient times because there are many fragrant and gentle flowers.
The Hadong Jeong clan began to settle here about 500 years ago when Jeonghwa, who served as the governor of Boseong-gun, began to live here, and after that, descendants continued to live together, forming a village.
The reason why this village was called Hwajeong-dong is because the name was created by combining [Hwa] from Hwadamsa Temple and [Jeong] from Songjeong.
The layout of the building here is in the Jeonhakhumyo style, with height differences between the ancestral rite area and the lecture area, with Hwadamsa Temple at the rear and Yangyangmun Gate, the inner three gates, in front.
It has a typical Seowon architectural style, with the east and study rooms located in the middle of the stairs going down from here, and the outer gate placed below them.
Hwadamsa Temple has three rooms at the front and one room at the side, and has a gable roof with floors at the front and back.
The front floor is open, showing the characteristics of the shrine architecture that facilitates ancestral rites.
The front door is a comb door with a heel plate and double eaves.
The floor plan is open, with a circular pillar in the front and a square pillar in the center, with the front ridge not forming a retreat ridge.
Cheongjijae and Yeolhojae have a gable roof with 4 rooms on the front and 1 room on the side, with the east and west buildings built in the same style.
The floor plan consists of an ondol room with a floor in front.
The beautiful crape myrtle trees on the grounds of Hwadamsa Temple are beautiful and worth seeing, and the Chunhyang Festival is held in the second month of the lunar calendar.
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Image source: Korea Tourism Organization
Hwadamsa Temple basic information
Website https://tour.gwangju.go.kr
Operating hours 10:00~17:00
Parking facilities available (paid)
Day off: Saturday, Sunday, public holidays
This was an introduction to the top 10 places to visit in Gwangju so far.
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